Queer-Pride Keralam 2010

Keralam is celebrating its first Queer Pride at Thrissur on July 2nd. Queer Pride is celebrated around the world by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people and their supporters. Queer Pride is a celebration. It is about loving who we are, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, hijra or straight and affirming every-one's right to be respected.

July 2nd of 2009 is the day when the Delhi High court decriminalized homosexuality by rereading section 377 of Indian Penal code. We celebrate pride on this day as we see the judgment as a historical moment in the lives of queer people.


The Pride Parade
Venue: Regional theatre, Thrissur
Starts at 4.00 PM Friday 2nd July, 2010


We'll gather at the regional theatre at 4.00 pm. The Parade starts at 5:00 and will come back to the regional theater.

Public Meeting and Performance
Venue: Regional theatre, Thrissur
6.00 pm

• We celebrate the love that was decriminalized by Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar of Delhi High Court in the historic Naz Foundation verdict of July 2, 2009.

• We call upon the Supreme Court to uphold the judgment in its entirety and secure the fundamental rights of India’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens to live a life of dignity, equality and free expression.

• We lament the loss of Prof. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras and countless other citizens and call for an immediate end to violence, harassment, and persecution of LGBT people by educational institutions, employers, law enforcement, religious institutions and the general public. Too many lives have been lost to irrational fear and hate.

• We request that hijras and other trans-genders be recorded in the 2011 national census in the category corresponding to their gender of choice and not be limited by the currently available binary choices of ‘male’ and ‘female’.

• We seek affordable and appropriate health-care for all and condemn unscientific and unethical attempts by some in the medical and mental health professions to change sexual orientation through drugs, electric-shock therapy, and other means.

• We ask that our families value our desires as natural and normal, allow us the freedom to choose our expression in terms of attire, romantic and life partners and not to force us into heterosexual marriages against our wishes.

• We appeal to the media to be fair, inclusive, and responsible in telling our stories. And not to perpetuate stereotypes, myths and misinformation about our lives. And not to make us invisible or trivialize us or our issues.

Queer pride keralam is organized by individuals and organizations. To get in touch with us write to: queerpridekeralam@gmail.com Also: http://www.queerpridekeralam.blogspot.com/